Inter vs Porto – Best players to look out for and predicted XI for their Champions League round of 16 clash
Inter and Porto face off in their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg on Wednesday 22 February.
Both teams are on a remarkable run in their respective league competitions and will come into this game full of confidence.
However, there are some players who are performing at a level above others.
Who are they? Let’s take a look!
Otavio
Otavio has been in sensational form for Porto. The Portuguese winger has scored three goals and provided an impressive 10 assists in all competitions in the 2022-23 season up till now.
The amazing aspect of Otavio’s presence in this Porto team is his versatility, being able to switch and play anywhere in midfield and create a positive impact by distorting opponent formations.
Mehdi Taremi
With 20 goals and 11 assists in 33 games in all competitions, Porto’s striker Mehdi Taremi is one of the most in-form players in Europe at the moment.
Inter would need to be careful of his presence in their box as he is very smart with his positioning and movement and creating goalscoring opportunities out of nothing.
Taremi scored five goals and provided two assists in Porto’s Champions League group stage campaign which saw them top their Group B consisting of teams like Club Brugge, Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid.
Lautaro Martinez
World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez has been in decent form heading into this game against Porto.
The Argentine forward is coming off an important goalscoring run after netting in games against Cremonese and AC Milan recently. Overall, he has scored 15 goals in 31 games in all competitions heading into this game.
What makes Martinez lethal is his pace and trickery. With Lukaku beside him, expect Martinez to score in both legs of this clash.
Hakan Calhanoglu
Inter’s midfield metronome, Hakan Calhanoglu has been the second best player after Lautaro Martinez this season.
The Turkish star has two goals and five assists this season, but he’s way more important to this Inter side than just stats.
Calhanoglu holds the balance in Inter’s midfield and provides multiple attacking combinations with wingers and strikers.
Limiting him would mean half the battle won for Porto.
Nicolo Barella
One of the best central midfielders in Europe currently, Nicolo Barella was a key part of Inter’s Champions League group stage success.
His best performance game in the clash against Barcelona where he scored in an enthralling 3-3 draw.
Barella excels at providing balance to any midfield he plays in and suits this Inter team with technicians like Mkhitaryan and Calhanoglu beside him.
Expect him to limit any possible Porto attacks during this game.
Inter predicted starting XI:
Onana; Skriniar, Acerbi, De Vrij; Bastoni, Barella, Brozovic, Calhanoglu, Dimarco; Martinez, Lukaku
Who will miss the second leg if booked with a yellow card? – Bastoni, Martinez
Porto predicted starting XI:
Diogo Costa; Joao Mario, Pepe, Carmo, Sanusi; Franco, Grugic, Eustaquio; Namaso, Pepe Otavio, Taremi
Inter vs Porto – What have the managers said before their Champions League clash?
Simone Inzaghi, Inter coach:
“We respect Porto. They’re a team who have been doing well in the Champions League for years. The coach is Sergio Conceição, who was my team-mate at Lazio for years: I know him very well. Our goal is to go through and give the fans a gift: to play in the quarter-finals of the Champions League after a long time away.”
Sergio Conceicao, Porto coach:
“I think [the first game] is on 22 February, if I’m not mistaken, and we have a lot of time to think about that Champions League opponent.”
Inter and Porto’s results in their last six games in all competitions as of February 21 (most recent first)
Inter: WDWWWL
Porto: WWWWWW
